God is All There Is Author Unknown First Unity Principle: There is only One Presence and one Power active as the Universe and as my life, God the Good Intention: To teach and demonstrate that there is only God, present and active in all things Resources, The Quest by Richard & Mary-Alice Jafolla, Teens on the Quest Association of Unity PreSession: Have music in background that reflects a selection of musical styles and moods, joyful, powerful, peaceful, etc. You may want to have a display of objects that represent what God is, i.e. pictures of people, flowers, mountain, a sunset, etc. Points to Ponder: For a visual, list following on board: There is only one presence and power God There is no force opposing God God is active in my life While it is true that God cannot be defined because we would limit God, certain experiences Can act like windows through which God becomes known to you in personal & powerful ways. Bible Verse: God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth John 4:25 It is as spirit that God expresses within us. As we express ourselves in spirit and truth, We are expressing God. Affirmations: I am safely held in God s loving hands. There is only one presence and one power Active as the universe and as my life, God the Good. Unity Statement of Being God is All, both visible and invisible One presence, one mind, one power is All This One that is All, Is perfect Life, perfect Love and perfect Substance Daily Word I am an individualized expression of God I am ever one with this Perfect Life, perfect Love and perfect Substance Opening Prayer: God our Mother, God our Father we thank you for this opportunity today to know you more; to explore ideas and feelings about you; to experience your ever-powerful, ever-lasting presence in our lives. We celebrate this journey we travel together, affirming that all paths lead to you. Amen Introduction: Unity is practical Christianity based on spiritual principle as taught by Jesus Christ, understood and interpreted by Unity School of Christianity. The core of Unity is the Five Basic Principles. Today we are going to take a look at the first principle which is, There is only Presence and One Power in the Universe and in my life God the Good. Spiritual principle is definite, exact and unchangeable. Let s just take a moment here to examine this. (have dry erase board handy) Could someone give me some examples of laws such as speed limits, traffic lights, etc. (list laws on board) So these are examples of Laws that have been created my man in order to maintain a system of order. Can these laws be changed? And of course the answer is yes!
- Page 1 - Next are Universal Laws such as Gravity (list on board also). This law can work for or against us. It works to fly planes but we also know that if we walk off a six story building, we will definitely get hurt. With mathematics we can say one and one equals four which is not true but it does not change the law of mathematics. Electricity provides us with many benefits but we also know that with the wrong use it could also harm us. So these universal laws work whether you believe in them or not and they are exact and cannot be changed. Spiritual principles work the same as universal laws. They are real, true and they work whether or not you believe in them. Spiritual principles need to be understood and they work for our good when we apply them to our lives. We know there is something greater than us so what exactly is this something we call God. When we try to define God, we run smack into a wall of impossibility because defining something limits it. If we define something it usually means we see its boundaries, its beginning and end and God is too vast to define. Read following: In a tiny Italian village stood a most beautiful church. For as long as anyone could remember, people had come from near and far just to see the magnificent fresco called The Holy Family which was painted on one of its walls. But one unfortunate day during World War II, the village was bombed and part of the famous fresco was reduced to rubble. After the war, the church was rebuilt with the exception of the one wall. Where the beautiful fresco had once been, there now as only a little more than half of the work left, sitting side by side with a glaring stretch of new bare plaster. The saddened villagers desperately sought to salvage their treasure. Artists and experts from all over the world were brought to the church, in hopes that they could restore the beloved painting. One by one they tried, but none succeeded. No one could capture the style and colors of the original. Then one day a very old man walked through he church doorway. He said he had heard about the damaged fresco and felt sure that he could restore it. After some time, he managed to persuade the priest to let him try his hand at restoring the wall. For two full days the man worked in silence. The priest was becoming very uneasy, anxious to see some proof of the man s ability. AT the end of the third day the priest could hardly believe his eyes. A small portion of the missing fresco had been restored to its original beauty! The man was commissioned to complete the work. When he finished the church bells wildly rang out the great news and people everywhere streamed into the church. It was the most special day the tiny village had ever known A great celebration was held to honor the artist. Someone asked him how it was that he could accomplish what so many others could not. He smiled and said: It was I who painted that fresco more than fifty years ago. I created it, and now I have restored it. And that is what God is like. It is God who created the universe and it is God who can, will and does restore it. So you do not have to define God but know what God is like. Names for God There is only one Presence there is only God and there are many difference names for God but all reference the same. (list on board and ask for input) Higher Power, Mother/Father, Infinite Intelligence, Divine Mind, Source, Great Spirit, Infinite Wisdom, Absolute Love, Creator, Still small voice/ Lord, Almighty, So all these names reference the same God. Whatever way each person feels comfortable identifying God, is right for you. The name is not nearly as important as what it represents in your heart. Attributes of God So what is God like, what are the attributes of God. (Ask for input and list on board) Love, kindness, strength, courage, power, beauty, healing, wisdom, creativity, enthusiasm, gentleness, orderliness,..
- Page 2 - Attributes of God (cont d) Know that God does not possess these attributes, God is all of these..and of all the attributes of God, love is undoubtedly the most beautiful. We are never separate from God and God s love because God is love and we are created in the image and likeness of God, we are love also. The way for us to know God is through our experiences. While it is true that God cannot be defined, certain experiences can act like windows through which God becomes known to you in personal and powerful ways. Experience of God What are some ways we experience or know God? Each person has his or her own unique way of experiencing God. Some experience God through prayer and meditation, entering into the Silence. Other s find God in the faces of the people they meet or as they take a walk in nature. Creative pursuits such as dance or art or music, enliven the spirit within us. List on board the experiences shared. What blocks us from our experience of God? Even though there is nowhere that God is not present with us, we can still live through moments in which we are not conscious of God s loving presence. Often we experience a sense of separation when we are afraid. Fear can blind us to the truth. What are some things that block our awareness of God? Again, list on board. Meditation We are going to take this time for each of you to have an opportunity to explore your own thoughts and feelings. I invite you to become comfortable in your chair and relax. Take in a deep breath. Your breath is the very source of your life. It is what keeps you alive. The word breath in Greek means Spirit. Spirit is another word for God. Spirit or God is the very breath we breathe. God is the source of our lives, just as our breath is the source of our life.. Become relaxed..become still..as still as a lake of crystal-blue water. Imagine that you have become this still, peaceful lake..only the sun sparkles upon you.. Dancing lightly upon the surface Upon closer look, the sun is also shining beneath the surface.illuminating the very depth of your being.. As you peer below the surface of your beautiful stillness, you notice that the feeling of God is everywhere present..be with this feeling.this feeling of love..peace comfort. How is God expressing in this moment?.allow it to surface what is the image. What is the thought or feeling.what do you find.feel God expressing Now that you have explored and experienced God within the depths of you, allow your body and spirit to float back to the surface of this calm, peaceful lake.as you emerge, I invite you to Open your eyes and see God expressing in your world, allow God to be revealed to you. Let us take a few moments to be fully present with the One that is always and forever present with us. And so we say thank you God. We are truly honored to be expressing your Presence very moment of our lives..amen Soul Searching (have following questions printed on sheets with enough room in between for teens To write their answers) Pass out question sheets with the following: 1. What three words spontaneously come to mind when you think of God.. 2. How I see God expressing through me. 3. What has been your single most profound experience of God in your life? 4. When do you usually feel closest go God? 5. When do you usually feel furthest from God. 6. List three things which to you are evidence of God in your world. 7. One way I can get to know God better is Give the teens 10 or 15 minutes to write their answers then ask them to get into groups of four and have them share their answers with each other. After they are done sharing, if there is enough time
ask each group did they find that their answers were at all similar and would anyone like to share with the whole group. - Page 3 - Handout 1. What three words spontaneously come to mind when you think of God: a. b. c. 2. How I see God expressing through me: 3. What has been your single most profound experience of God in your life? 4. When do you usually feel closest go God? 5. When do you usually feel the furthest from God. 6. List three things which to you are evidence of God in your world. 7. One way I can get to know God better is: